By Mark Vester
Nothing seems to go right for Kirk Johnson (36-3-1), as he was upset Friday night at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in California by unheralded Javier Mora (20-2, 18 KOs) by way of a 7th round TKO.
Johnson was unable to continue with the bout, after Mora stepped his foot, which caused Johnson to fall to the mat and sprain his right knee. A major setback for Johnson's career, and a huge win for Mora. Mora has mostly beaten fighters with losing records for a better part of his career, this win will give him a big boost.
He won the respect of the American public in his losing effort to Winky Wright in December, and Friday night, Sam Soliman (31-8, 12KOs) returned to the ring by picking up a six round TKO win over middleweight contender Raul Munoz (17-8, 14KOs). Soliman was handing Munoz a slow beating throughout the bout, until the referee had seen enough and called a halt to the action.
Soliman stepped in the main event spotlight after Vernon Forrest pulled out due to injuries. There have been rumors of a possible June bout between Soliman and Kassim Ouma, nothing has been officially announced.
